Sensing Time
by Melissa Brooks
Summary: John saves Tea from a car crash and he begins to develop feelings for her.
1. Chapter 1

Sensing Time

Chapter One

Tea was running out of time, Todd could be such a stubborn ass and her daughter wasn't any better. They were so much alike and they both had a hard time trusting people. If Tea was honest with herself she would also have to admit that she had a hard time with trust as well. Hell, she couldn't even trust Todd with the truth of her impending death.

It had been a month since Tea found out that she had an inoperable brain tumor. That was when Time had become her worst enemy, the one thing she couldn't fight. Tea had always been a fighter, she had to be, but now Tea was tired of fighting the impossible. Death and taxes- no one could get out of it not even Tea.

Tea left the courtroom, frustrated and angry. Todd had just been sentenced to twenty five years for apparently pushing Marty down the stairs. Tea didn't know if he was guilty, all she knew was he was all that their daughter would have. Tea had fought as hard as she could even though the chemotherapy had left her too exhausted to stand let alone fight Todd's never ending legal troubles.

Of course Todd had blamed her when the guilty verdict had come in. Todd believed that she had intentionally thrown the case because she didn't want to share Dani with him. He could be so deluded sometimes and even then Tea couldn't allow her self to tell Todd the truth. She would rather Todd hate her then to lose control. Vulnerability was for suckers.

Tea was driving home when she lost whatever control she had left. She had been told by the doctors that one of the side affects of her tumor could be the loss of sight, but she had clung to the belief that her sight would remain intact. God was already taking her life, did he have to take her sight as well. Tea was petrified as the sudden darkness hit her, she tried to stop her car and steer it to the side of the road hoping that she wouldn't hit any body. Tea realized that she was too late as she heard the shattering of glass and the crunching of metal.

John had been on his way home when he saw the car ahead of him suddenly slow down. John's instincts had kicked in. Something was wrong with the other driver. John felt helpless, he wanted to help, but he couldn't he was too late. He watched as the car veered into the side wall.


	2. Chapter 2

Sensing Time Chapter 2

John pulled over to the side of the road and rushed over to the smashed car. He went to the driver's side and was shocked to see Tea passed out in the front seat.

Tea didn't look too good. From what John could see she had a nasty gash on the side of her face. John didn't want to move her in case there were internal injuries, but he had no choice, he could smell gas leaking and he had to get her as far away from the car before it exploded.

John managed to pry the door open. He wrapped Tea in his jacket and pulled her as carefully and as quickly as he could manage.

Once Tea was in his arms, John looked for a place that they might use for refuge from the pending explosion. There was nothing around, he held onto her as tight as he could and went back to his car. He started the car into drive and drove as fast as he could from the wreckage.

John watched as the car exploded in his rear view mirror. He drove Tea to the hospital.

Tea heard voices around her, but her vision was still gone, she felt completely vulnerable.

"You're awake; do you know where you are?" Tea heard somebody ask.

"What happened?" Tea asked.

"You were in a car accident?"

"Was anyone else hurt?"

"No, you were the only one that was hurt. Now I need to run a few tests on you and we'll probably keep you overnight for observation, but from what I can see you were really lucky that your friend John was there."

"John was there?"

"Yeah, he pulled you out of the car just in time. Right now I want you to follow my finger with your eyes."

"I want to see Dr. Greg, he's my physician and I would feel more comfortable if he was examining me?" Tea said hoping that she could contain the situation until her eyesight returned. She didn't want Dani to find out about her tumor, not yet anyways. Tea wanted to enjoy whatever normal experiences she could have with her daughter before they were taken away from her.

"Dr. Greg is off shift right now, but I'll see if I can get a hold of him," Tea heard somebody say. She listened for the footsteps and the sound of the door shutting.

When Tea thought that she was alone, she started to cry. It wasn't supposes to happen this fast, she was losing her control, everything was still dark and she feared that she would never see her beautiful daughter's face again.

John knew that something was terribly wrong with Tea. John had entered the room when the doctor had left and Tea hadn't said anything to him, it was as if he wasn't even there. Then she began to cry, John didn't know what to do or say. In the two years that he had known her he had never seen her cry once. She was the strongest, most fierce woman that he had ever met. He didn't always agree with Tea's methods, but he respected and admired her passion regarding the law. John went and sat by her bedside and grabbed her hand to comfort her.

Tea flinched when she felt someone grab her hand and she suddenly realized she wasn't alone. "Who's there?" Tea asked.

"Tea, it's me, it's John. Tea, can you see?" John asked as the sudden realization that she was blind hit him.

Tea was tired of lying and she could no longer keep up the pretenses. She knew that it was time that she told the truth. "No, I can't see anything. I've lost my eyesight and it's only a matter of time before I lose my life."


	3. Chapter 3

Sensing Time Chapter Three

It had been a month since Tea had broken down and finally told somebody the truth- that she had cancer and that she would die. John had been an amazing and supporting friend. He had even backed Tea when she told Dani that the loss of her eyesight was the result of the accident and explosion. John didn't understand why Tea needed to keep up the facade with her daughter. He thought that Tea needed to tell Dani the truth, but he also knew it wasn't his secret to tell.

Today, Tea was being released from the hospital and John felt nervous. He wanted to ask Tea and Dani to move in with him, but he didn't know if he should or how Tea would react. More than likely she would be angry and think that his proposal was because of her illness, but it wasn't just that. John had always admired the strong feisty lawyer that he knew her as, but since the accident they had grown closer and John wanted to spend as much time with her as he could.

"Okay John, be straight with me. What's wrong?" Tea asked when they got into his car. John had always been a silent observer ever since she met him, but today he was brooding more than usual. John had always seemed to have a self confidence and bravery about him that Tea had always admired, but ever since he came to pick her up from the hospital he seemed scared and unsure. Tea knew John well enough to know that something or someone was bothering him.

"Nothing's wrong, I just want to get you home," John said, he didn't know if today was the right time to tell her that he felt much more than friendship for her. His feelings for Tea had been growing despite his resolve to keep his feelings at bay. He didn't want to be in love with her. He had already lost one woman he loved to death and he didn't know if he could go through it all again. When his Caitlyn died a part of him died as well, he had fallen into a bottomless pit that he didn't know if he would ever get out again, but somehow he had made it to the other side. When John started falling for Tea, he had tried to stay away, but he couldn't., for whatever reason he was drawn to her and all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and show her how much she was loved.

"I'm blind John, not stupid. Something's bothering you. I thought we were friends."

"We are."

"Then talk to me. You know, you were the first person I told about my illness. It was hard for me to open up but I did. Why can't you do the same?"

John pulled his car over to the side of the road and grabbed Tea's hand. "I want you and Dani to move in with me. I want to take care of you," John blurted out.

"What? You want me to move in with you? Why?" Tea asked.

"I want to take care of you."

Tea could feel the anger rising, this illness had reduced her to nothing but a damn charity case. Tea hadn't told Dani the truth because she knew that her daughter would drop everything to support her. Tea would not burden Dani that way and she certainly wouldn't be John's damsel in distress so that he could play boy hero. "Go to hell," Tea spat out as she opened up the car door and got out.

John opened up his car door and hurried to be by Tea's side."Tea you can't leave on your own. You could get hurt. I'll walk you wherever you want to go," John said trying to gain back control of the situation.

"I'm trying to get away from you. I am not an invalid; I've been taking care of myself my whole life, so I think I'll manage just fine without you."

"What if I'm not fine without you?" John whispered as he grabbed Tea's hand and brushed the hair out of her face with his other hand.

"What?"

"Damn it Tea I didn't ask you to move in with me because I felt sorry for you. "I asked you because I'm falling in love with you."

" You can't John. I have no future to offer you. You can't be in love with me."

"It's a little late for that," John said as he grabbed Tea's waist and kissed her with all the passion that had been building in him since his life collided with hers.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four

It had been a week since John had declared his love and asked Tea to move in with him. Tea had declined the offer at first, but John had a way of getting to her and at last she agreed to move in with him. She had decided to come clean with Dani…John was right; she needed to know the truth before she was blindsided.

Tea knocked on Dani's door feeling nervous. Dani had been struggling since Todd had gone to prison and the last thing that she wanted to do was to upset her daughter's life. Tea had avoided telling Dani because she wanted these last moments with her daughter to be filled with as much normal experiences as she could get. Tea was out of time, she had already lost her sight, it was only a matter of time before she lost her memory.

"Come in," Dani called,

Tea opened the door to see her daughter working on some homework.

"Daniella, there's something important that I need to talk to you about, "Tea said as she sat down on the bed.

Dani took one look at her mom and knew that it wasn't good. "What's going on mom?"

"There's no easy way for me to say this, so I'm just going to come out and say it. Dani, I'm sick."

"Okay why don't you go lie down, John and I will take care of you tonight and you'll feel better tomorrow."

"No baby, I won't get better tomorrow. Dani, I have cancer. I'm dying."

This was the last thing that Dani had expected to hear. She had already lost both her father's, she would not lose her mother too.

"No, you can't be. The doctor is wrong; you have to get a second opinion. There has to be a treatment."

"I have gotten a second opinion and a third. I have an inoperable brain tumor. There's no way around it, I'm dying."

"How long have you known that you were sick? It must have been a while since you've gotten second and third opinions."

"I've only known for a little bit."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to hurt you. I guess I was in denial. I knew that telling you would make it real, but I can't keep denying the truth."

"You should have told me the truth the moment you found out," Dani said as she exited her bedroom slamming the door behind her."

Tea curled up on her daughter's bed as she grasped the stuffed animal that she had given Dani when she had her appendix taken out. Tea still remembered the day that she had given Mr. Feel better to her daughter. Dani lit up as Tea told her that this bear had magical powers that would make her feel better.

Tea could hear John calling for her. He must have just gotten home from work. "John, I'm in here," Tea called. John entered Dani's room and paused when he saw Tea.

"Tea, what's wrong? What happened?"

"I told Dani that I'm dying. She's so angry with me for not telling her sooner."

"You want me to go find her?" John asked.

"No she needs space right now."

"What can I do?"

"You can hold me."

"Deal," John said as he curled up next to Tea. John felt so useless. He had always had a need to save people, but he couldn't do anything to save Tea. It was like losing Kaitlin all over again. John was determined to do everything he could to make Tea feel as loved as possible while she was still with him.


	5. Chapter 5

Five

When Dani came back home she found Tea and John curled up on her bed. Her mom was sleeping as John stroked her hair. "Dani, can I talk to you in the next room so that we don't wake up your mom?" John whispered when he looked up and saw Dani standing in the doorway.

"Sure."

John covered Tea up and then followed Dani into the living room. "How are you doing?"

"How do you think I'm doing? Mom's dying and she didn't tell me for months. I should have been there for her, I should have been better. I've been such a brat since Todd was convicted. I was angry and confused and she was there, so I took out my anger on her. I don't want to lose…I can't lose her too. She's always been there for me, but when she dies I'll be all alone."

"You'll never going to be alone, Dani, I promise you. When your mom dies, I want you to stay with me, but only if you want to. I've never been a father before, and I'm sure that I'll make lots of mistakes, so if you don't want to live with me, I will understand, but you will always be in my life, I will never let you be alone." John said as a tear rolled down his cheek. John knew how hard it was going to be for Dani. When he lost his father, he lost a piece of himself. He wanted to spare Dani that pain, but couldn't. All he could do was be there to see her through the dark days ahead.

"Thanks," Dani said as she hugged John.

"Hey Dani, there's something else that I wanted to ask you, I want to ask your mom to marry me, but I wanted to get your approval first, since it will affect your life too."

"My mom loves you and you seem to love my mom, so I will give you my blessing if my mom says yes."

"What am I supposed to say "yes" to? Tea asked as she walked into the living room.

"Will you have dinner with me tonight?" John asked.

"What are you up to?"

"It's a surprise."

"Hey mom, can I spend the night at Destiny's?" Dani asked wanting to make herself scarce so that John and her mom could have the night to themselves.

"Sure, that's fine. Be on your best behavior for Mr. and Mrs. Evans."

"I will. Mom, have a good time tonight, you deserve it." Dani said as she left her mom with John.

John wasn't a very good cook so he ordered take out from The Palace Hotel. He sat across from Tea, she looked so beautiful in the firelight and John wanted this moment to last forever.

John grasped the ring box inside his jacket with one hand and held her hand in his other one. "Tea, I got something very important that I want to ask you."

"What's going on John?"

"I'm in love with you and I want you do me the honor of being my wife. Will you marry me?" John asked as he brought out the ring box and opened it displaying the extravagant ring inside.

"That would be nice. I would love to be your wife."

"Really?"

"Don't tell me that you're already regretting asking me to marry you?" Tea asked teasing John.

"It's not that, I just thought that I would have to work on convincing you."

"John, life is too short. I don't have much time left. I love you and marrying you will make you Dani's stepdad. After I'm gone I know that you'll take care of her."

"I will Tea." John said as he leaned over the table and kissed her.

John grabbed Tea's hand and placed the ring on her finger. He loved Tea so much and he was determined to spend every day making her as happy as she hade made him.


	6. Chapter 6

Sensing Time 6

"How do I look?" Tea asked when Dani was done applying the lipstick.

"You're stunning."

"I wish that I could see myself."

"I know mom, but trust me. You look amazing."

Dani stood up to answer the door, "who is it?" she asked. It was bad luck for the groom to see the bride on their wedding day and her mother didn't need anymore bad luck.

"Dani it's me, Blair."

Dani opened up the door and let Blair in.

"Tea, you look amazing," Blair said as she walked over to Tea and gave her a hug. Tea had always been Blair's rival, but that had all changed when Todd had gone to prison. Blair realized that they needed each other to help their children deal with losing their father.

Tea was so happy to see Blair, she didn't have much time left and she needed to secure her daughter's future.

"Dani, can I have a minute alone with Blair?"

"Yeah, I'll be out in the hall if you need me," Dani said as she walked out of the room.

"What's going on Tea? What did you need to talk to me about?"

"Blair, I know that we haven't always gotten along but I've always thought that you were a wonderful mother."

"Thanks Tea. You're a wonderful mother too."

"Blair I want you to be Dani' mom now."

"What are you talking about? Your Dani's mom. I could never take your place."

"I haven't been completely honest with you. I didn't lose my eyesight in the car accident. I have a brain tumor. I'm dying and I need you to look after Dani for me," Tea said as the tears that she was holding back started to slide down her cheek.

"What?" Blair felt like she had been punched in the stomach. There was a time when she wanted nothing more than for Tea to disappear, but now she liked Tea. Tea had become like the sister she never had and she couldn't imagine her life without her in it. "Does Dani and John know?"

"Yeah I told Dani a couple of weeks ago and John found out after the accident."

"Why didn't you tell me? I would have been here for you."

"That's why I didn't tell you. You have enough on your plate raising your kids all alone now that Todd is in prison and refusing to see anybody. The last thing that I wanted to do was to add to your burden with my problems."

"Don't be stupid Tea. You wouldn't have been a burden to me. You should have told me."

"You're right. I should have. I've handled this all wrong, but there isn't exactly a manual on how to die gracefully. I know you're angry with me, but I need you. I don't have much time. I need you to sign these papers," Tea said as she handed the papers over to Blair.

Blair looked over the papers and signed them. She handed them back to Tea, "For the record, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at the situation. Dani, you can come back in her, I need your help to get your mother ready," Blair said as she opened the door.

Dani walked back in the room and began to apply the finishing touches to Tea's makeup. The ceremony was scheduled to begin any minute and they were running out of time.

-

John stood at the alter when Tea opened up the doors and walked down the aisle. She was so beautiful. John thought that he would be nervous today but he wasn't instead he felt at peace, like this was exactly where he belonged.

"Do you John Mcbain take Tea Delgado to be your wife?" The minister asked.

"I do."

"Do you Tea Delgado take John Mcbain to be your husband?"

"I do."

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride."

John grabbed Tea in his arms and gave her a kiss knowing that he was going to love this woman for the rest of his life.

-

John carried Tea across the threshold and entered the honeymoon suite at the "Palace Hotel."

He set her down on the bed and grabbed two glasses of Champagne. He handed her a drink and sat down next to her on the bed.

"Do you know how happy you made me today?"  
Tea asked.

"Almost as happy as you've made me."

"I love you John Mcbain. Promise me that you'll always remember that."

"I love you too Tea," John said and then he kissed Tea.

They spent the next couple of hours making love until they were completely exhausted. John had fallen asleep holding Tea in his arms. "Remember that I love you," Tea whispered as she kissed John's forehead and slipped out of bed. She got dressed and left a note besides John and left the room.

She went down to the lobby and waited for Greg to arrive. Greg was taking her to a hospice. She loved John and Dani too much to subject them to watching her deteriorate until there was nothing left.


	7. Chapter 7

Sensing Time 7

John reached out for Tea, but the space next to him was empty. He opened his eyes but Tea wasn't anywhere to be found. He looked all over the hotel suite and stopped looking when he found a folded piece of paper that was left on the nightstand. He slowly unfolded the paper fearing the worst.

"My dearest John,

First of all, I want you to know how much happiness you have given me. I've never known what it was like to be fully loved until you came into my life. Leaving you and Dani was the hardest decision that I have ever had to make, but I love you guys too much to subject you to watching me deteriorate. I want your last memories of me to be of our wedding day, the happiest day of my life. Please watch over Dani, I know that you and Blair will take care of her.

Love Tea"

John dropped the letter on the floor. How could Tea do this to him? How could she do this to Dani? He wasn't ready to let her go, he hadn't said goodbye. He wasn't going to let her go without a fight.

-

Blair was making lunch when she heard a knock on the door. She was surprised when she opened the door to find John. "John, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon?"

"I was, but when I woke up this morning Tea was gone."

"Gone, my mom's not dead is she? "Dani asked as she came in the room.

"No, she's not dead, but I'm sorry Dani, she left us."

"You're lying. She wouldn't leave us unless she had to," Dani said as she embraced Blair.

"She didn't want us to watch her die," John said as he handed the note to Dani.

Dani crumbled the note after she had read it. It was probably the last thing that her mother would write, but she didn't care. "I hate her, she's so selfish. How could she just leave without saying goodbye? There was so much that I wanted to say to her and she took that away from me," Dani said as her anger turned to sadness and she began to sob uncontrollably.

John pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair. "I'm going to find her before its too late. I promise that you'll get your chance to say your goodbyes," John said. He kissed Dani on the forehead and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Blair asked.

"I'm going to see Greg and I won't leave until he tells me where Tea is." John left as Blair gave Dani a hug. "Don't worry, John will find your mom," Blair said wanting to comfort Dani and herself.

-

Greg was glad to be home, he had just gotten back from checking Tea into the hospice. He was exhausted and he needed to get some sleep before his next shift at the hospital started.

When he entered his apartment, he instantly realized that he wasn't alone. There was a man sitting in his chair glaring at him. It took Greg a few moments to realize that the man in his apartment was John Mcbain.

"John, what are you doing here?"

"I'm waiting for you. Where's Tea? What have you done with her?"

"John, you know I can't answer your questions. I am Tea's doctor and as such I am bound to keep any conversations that we have had private."

"I'm only going to ask this one more time, where is my wife?" John asked as he pointed his gun at Greg.

"John, we both know that you're not going to shoot me. I can't tell you. I have to honor Tea's wishes and so do you."

"Please Greg, Tea is my life. I have to tell her what she means to me before it's too late. It's not just about me, it's about Dani. She needs time to say goodbye to her mother."

"I'm sorry, but I can't say anything."

John stood up and walked over to Greg. "I swear to god that if she dies alone, I will make you pay." John said as he left. Greg was right; he couldn't kill him, no matter how much he had wanted to. He would have to find another way to find Tea.

John was on his way back to Blair's when his phone rang. "Hello," John said.

"John, its Sean. I hope I'm doing the right thing, I know that I promised Tea and Greg that I wouldn't say anything, but I can't keep quiet."

"Sean, do you know where my wife is?"

"Meet me at the airport in an hour. I promised Tea that I wouldn't tell you where she is, but I never promised that I wouldn't show you where she is."

"Thanks Sean, I'll never forget this." John said as he hung up his phone.

-

Blair was sitting on the couch watching a movie, when her phone rang.

"Hello,"

"Blair pack a bag for you and Dani and meet me at the airport in an hour," John said.

"Why? What's going on? Did you find Tea?"

"Shaun's going to take us to Tea. I promised Dani that she would have a chance to say goodbye to her mother and I'm going to make good on my promise."

"We'll see you in an hour," Blair said as she hung up the phone.

"Dani, hurry and pack a bag, we're going to find your mom."

Dani got off the couch and instantly began to throw some clothes in a duffel bag. She said a silent prayer to herself that they would find her in time.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

John's heart was beating so fast and his palms were sweaty. He was thinking about this moment ever since they boarded the plane for the Virgin Islands. He knew that Tea would be mad but he hoped that he could convince her to let them stay until the end if they weren't too late. Sean knocked on the door of Tea's room and a nurse answered.

"We're here to see Tea."

"I'm sorry; Miss Delgado is having a bad day. I think that it would be best if you came back at another time,"

"Please, we won't stay long. I'm Tea's husband and this is her daughter Dani, we've come a very long way and we need our chances to say goodbye."

The nurse took a deep breath. "Maybe it will do her some good to see you. She's been agitated ever since Doctor Evans left and she has been asking for her husband ever since she woke up this morning. Okay, I'll let you see her for five minutes, but just you two."

John and Dani walked in the room. Tea was sitting on a chair out on the balcony staring out at the ocean. "Let me go first," John whispered to Dani as he stepped out on the balcony.

"Tea, I'm here. I found you baby and I'm not going anywhere," John said as he sat down next to Tea and grabbed her hand.

Tea pulled her hand away and stood up. "Who are you? I don't know you. I want to see my husband."

"Tea, I am your husband."

"You are not my husband. I don't know who you are or why you have me stashed here? My husband Todd Manning is very wealthy and he will pay you any amount that you ask for. Please just let me go home." Tea said as she started to cry.

Tea was so confused. It was just yesterday that she had married Todd Manning for five million dollars so that he could get his little girl Starr back. She remembered going to sleep in Todd's penthouse only to wake up in a strange room on a strange island. She had asked to see Todd repeatedly but the nursing staff just told her that they would try to reach him. She had tried to leave but they wouldn't let her go not without Doctor Evans permission. She didn't know who Doctor Evans was and now there was a strange man claiming that he was her husband.

Dani could hear her mom's crying so she stepped out on the balcony, "Mom, It's okay. Don't cry, we just wanted to spend some time with you."

Tea just stared at the girl. There was something about this girl that she liked; a fire within her that reminded her of herself, but she also knew something was very wrong. She didn't have a kid. "I can't be your mom because I don't have a kid. I don't know you are or why you're involved with this man, but I just want to go home. I'm certain that we can come to some kind of arrangement."

"John, why doesn't she remember me? Mom, I'm your daughter. Don't you remember me?" Dani said as tears began to form in her eyes.

"I would remember it if I had a daughter. Why are you doing this? Where's Todd?"

"Mom, dad's in prison."

"I'm sorry, are you saying that Todd Manning is your father?"

"Yes, Todd is my father and you're my mother."

"What the hell is going on here? I want you to leave. I don't know what kind of games you're playing but I want you to go."

"Mom, pleas try to remember me," Dani pleaded as she pulled out a picture that she had carried in her back pocket ever since her mother got sick. "This is a picture of you and me when we spent the day in New York City. You wanted to show me where you grew up. Don't you remember that day?" Dani asked as she handed the picture to Tea.

Tea stared at the picture, nothing about the photograph seemed familiar to her, but the picture looked real. There was nothing about the photograph that looked doctored. If it was real, why couldn't she remember her daughter? "Why don't I remember you?"

"You have a brain tumor and dementia is one of the symptoms," John tried to explain.

"I have a brain tumor. How bad is it?"

"It's terminal," John stated. He hated seeing Tea go through this again but she needed to know what was happening to her and why.

"You're lying. I'm not dying," Tea said as she pushed her way back into the room. She ran towards the exit when the nurse came in the room carrying a needle. "I need to get out of here. I need to get back to my life," Tea said in between heavy breaths of air. She couldn't breathe. She felt like her chest was closing in on her. John came up behind her and wrapped her in his arms so that the nurse could give her the sedative.

"I know dear, this will just help you to relax," the nurse said as she pushed the needle into her arm.

Tea felt her body go limp and she was having a hard time focusing. She leaned into John's arms. John carried Tea to the couch and stroked her hair as she fell asleep from the affects of the sedative.


	9. Chapter 9

Sensing Time 9

Tea woke up and saw John sleeping in the chair next to her. She instantly was filled with shame and frustration when she recognized him. She had told him not to come but he came anyways and brought Dani with him and she knew that her moments of confusion had hurt them both.

She felt so drained and knew that the end was coming. "John, go get Dani, I need to see her," Tea said as she shook John to wake him.

"Tea, you're awake," John said as he opened his eyes.

"Go get Dani," Tea repeated herself.

John left the room for a couple of seconds and then came back with Dani.

"Can I have a couple of minutes alone with my daughter?" Tea asked.

"Of course, I'll just be in the next room," John said and then he walked out of the room.

"Do you remember me?" Dani cautiously asked as she sat down next to her mom.

"Of course I remember you. I'm sorry that I was confused earlier but I'm lucid now and there's some things that I want to tell you before I die."

"I'm not ready for you to die, it's too soon. I can't say goodbye to you, " Dani said as she began to cry.

"It's my time baby, but I'm not scared because I know that you'll be just fine without me. You're strong, courageous and beautiful. I am so lucky because I was blessed to have you in my life for all these years. I love you so much Dani and I want you to be there for John. He's going to need your strength and love when I'm gone. I want you to respect and listen to Blair and to treat her the way that you treat me."

"I'm afraid of being without you mom."

"Don't be and whenever you miss me close your eyes and think of me and I promise that I will be there. You're never going to be without me because I know that you will carry me in your heart," Tea said as her voice broke with emotion. She was trying so hard to be strong for Dani, but saying goodbye was beginning to take it's toll on her.

"I love you too mom and I'll take care of John and Blair. I promise."

"Can you go and send John in?" Tea asked.

"I love you mom. I won't say goodbye cause you'll be with me for always," Dani said ad she placed her hand over her heart.

John walked into the room and sat by Tea's side.

"I want you to know how much I love you. You have been my rock, my champion, and my best friend through this whole thing. I need you to make me two promises."

"Anything, I would do anything for you."

"I know that's why I want you to promise me that you'll move on with your life. I don't want you to grieve for me forever and I want you to find love and happiness with somebody else."

"I love you Tea, I don't know if I'll be able to move on with anybody else."

"One day you will and when you do I want you to know that you have my blessing, so I just want you to promise me that you won't close you're heart and that you'll leave yourself open to the possibility of falling in love again. Will you promise me that?"

John was silent for a couple of minutes and then he whispered, "I promise," as a teardrop slid down his cheek.

"I also want you to promise me that you'll raise Dani with Blair. I want you to ask her to move in with you at least for a couple of months while you and Dani are grieving. I don't want you and Dani to be alone and I'll feel better knowing that she's going to take care of you."

"I promise."

"Go and get Dani, I want to go outside and feel the sun on my face,"

John and Dani helped Tea outside and helped her get situated on the porch swing. She laid by John's side as she watched Dani and Blair playing in the water. Tea closed her eyes and died in John's arms feeling the peace and love that surrounded her.


End file.
